More Cocaine Being Found, Police Say

Commissioner of Police Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho (left) and Indonesian Police Head of Sub Directorate Narcotics Senior Superintendent of Police Jimmy Augustus Anes with the working group at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi yesterday. Photo: WAISEA NASOKIA

A total of 36 bars of cocaine were discovered in the Lomaiviti Group last Saturday (August 4).

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro confirmed this during the Fiji Police/Indonesia Police 4th Bilateral Working Group Meeting at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi yesterday.

She said: “The recent one being on August 4, a fisherman in Makogai discovered 35 bars of cocaine stuck on a reef.

“On July 31, one fisherman also found a bar of cocaine was found in Moturiki. The bars of cocaine found are of similar packaging as the ones found earlier.”

Ms Naisoro said upon the discovery of the bars, it was sent to their laboratory for testing and the results came back positive.

She added that the cost of one bar of cocaine is estimated to be at FJ$840,000. The discovery is the latest in a series of finds.

On June 22, 13 bars of Cocaine weighing 15 kilograms and Ecstasy tablets with an estimated value of US$10 million to US$15 million (FJ$20.95m to FJ$31.43m) were seized from a yacht anchored at Port Denarau.

The seizure was the result of a joint operation by Fiji Revenue and Customs Service, Fiji Police, Biosecurity Authority of Fiji and Health Department.

Late last month two stashes of cocaine with a combined weight of 52 kilograms and a street value of $31 million were discovered in the Lau Group.

Meanwhile, the Fiji Police Force have put in place an amnesty period effective from August 6-20 to allow those who may have similar discoveries to turn over the illicit drug to Police.

She said any person who without lawful authority acquires, supplies, possesses, manufactures, cultivates, uses or administers an illicit drug or engages in any dealing with any other person for the transfer, transport, supply, use, manufacture, offer, sale, import or export of an illicit drug, commits an
offence.

Such persons will be prosecuted under the Illicit Drugs Control Act 2004.